Behind The Fog of War

If you're like me you probably might not have noticed today was May 13.
Today I wouldn't want to talk about what happened in 69. Instead I'd rather talk about Perak. The papers say it pretty much.

The big shots at the top have been distancing themselves away from the issue in Perak. Anwar, whom I still have no trust for, has been quiet for somewhile now since the controversy that he's reshuffling PKR's leadership through a string of forced by-elections.

Today, Gerakan's Dr. Hsu Dar Ren, of a few men in the ruling coalition that I've got respect for, called for fresh polls. MCA's been pretty quiet as well, thanks (maybe) to lone ranger Datuk Seri Ong, if it was his predecessor from Kulai no one would have doubted that silence was the last thing on MCA's mind.

So as everyone puts it now, the situation's past the stage where the shit hits the fan. You know what, don't point the finger at Hee alone, how about the other two frogs that jumped as well?You see, in Perak, Pakatan had a flaw in Keadilan. I've got even more faith in PAS than in Keadilan mind you. From how I see it, PKR's the weakest link in Pakatan. Selangor's next after Perak, if the powers that be see fit.

Ok, back to Perak. I don't need to repeat the mantra that this has been damaging for the Royal Family, to both sides of the political divide, and for the state itself. It's like General Motors. Better stay away or it'll suck you in.

I don't need to repeat the point that an appeal was granted with efficiency that surpasses even the international courts. I don't need to repeat that a full judgment was passed and not an interim one. I don't need to repeat the all the skeletons in the closet that every hand that played a part.

What now? Malaysia Today disclosed that Vincent Tan (i don't understand why him again) had a role in this by paying Hee 25mil. I find that refutable, as 25mil is a large number. Why 25mil when 1mil can already do so much in Malaysia. You know what I'm talking about cuz if you're not don't call yourself a Malaysian.

The stakes here are the royalty, the rule of law, the principles of democracy, the partisan ways of the judiciary and the law enforcement branches. Might as well call ourselves Singapore if we fail this test.

It all goes back to who can clean this up, who has a wide support base. Anwar's been touted as the leading man who's going against the powers that be. But ask me and I'll say Ku Li's way better for the job than he is. That's right, Tengku Razaleigh. But that's for another day, when we get to hear the story of UMNO Team A vs UMNO Team B. That's the 20 year battle that's still ongoing until now.

Bye for now. Haha, that sounded like ESPN's gamecast commentary. I've gotta finish up revision for tomorrow's Accountancy exam.

It's Serious This Time Around

HELLOOOO

It's been quite a while since I left KL for here, and during those times I haven't blogged at all heheh.

Here's something I'd need help thinking about.

Economics single or joint honours degree students are considered eligible to
participate in any exchange programme only if they have obtained an average mark
of 60 in their first year AND a mark of 60 or above in Economics 1A.

yadayadayada..

The selection process at College level normally entails attending an interview in late
November or early December. Offers to successful candidates are normally made in
late December, conditional on an appropriate programme of study being
available.

...

List of universities
Hong Kong University
Lund University (Sweden)
National University of Singapore
Queen's University
University of Auckland
University of British Columbia (UBC)
UC Berkeley
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC Los Angeles (UCLA)
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
UC Santa Cruz
UC Santa Barbara
University of Melbourne
University of Pennsylvania
University of Toronto
University of Virginia
University of Washington

I've narrowed it down to probably.. 4.
UCLA, UPenn, UC Berkeley, & University of Toronto

Not sure whether I'd want to go for a year abroad in the US or not. Need some thinking through hmm.. any ideas?

i'm going to sleep now! i love u guys! love love! -muah!

Behind The Backdrop

Today we'll play the guessing game.

I've got my own reasons to believe that Pak Lah, (whom I still have some support for in this time and day), is a weak political pawn that's been put there by his predecessor.

Yes, a pawn.

The months of infighting that we've witnessed so far, have traversed onto a new page which so happens to be the same page back during our first PM Tunku Abdul Rahman's distressing times in the month of May 1969.

This time around, Harun Idris is played by, guess who!!
The Tunku with a shaky seat is played by... again, guess who!!
Tun Abdul Razak, the person who played a role in bringing down Tunku is played by.. come on guys, guess who!!

To be honest, the third guess couldn't be any tougher. We know that the recent tug-of-war between Najib and Anwar in the summer months of May to end July has benefitted only one person. Guess who! During this time, people who called for his resignation seemed to have quietened down, and he laughed his way to the bank, well not to the bank perhaps.

So, the question is now. Where does the deputy-in-waiting stand right now? Who could possibly stand to gain in this wayang, by making Pak Lah step down?

VP Muhyiddin Yassin, which IMO is a pretty clean guy, and whom I used to think was on Anwar's team pra-98, did the unexpected by, firstly, announcing Dr.M's comeback into UMNO, (for the umpteenth time), and later, saying that Pak Lah's transition plan in 2010 was too far away.

One may ask the obvious, Why, is the Tun returning back to the party at this hour? Surely, there could be some reason why. And I hope the Tun lets us know.

Pak Lah, has no means to defend himself at this point. I still maintain my support for him in these times, because there clearly isn't any candidate who's cleaner than him, apart from VP Muhyiddin imo.

The only question here is. Who's pulling the strings? And Who will walk away out of this free-for-all as the victor?

Remember, 912 is like 513, only 4 months after, and 4 days before 916.

To Go Onto The Next Page

After reading Malaysian Insider's article on the eventual crackdown on bloggers, I wasn't surprised to see today's headlines where MCMC issued a directive to all 21 ISPs to block Malaysia Today. Thankfully the blog owners have started a mirror site here. As of now, only TM has complied with the instructions. The rest will probably follow soon enough.

Links:
Here
Here
Here

I managed to dig out these.

Section 263:2 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 states that
"A licensee shall, upon written request by the Commission or any other authority,assist the Commission or other authority as far as reasonably necessary in preventing the commission or attempted commission of an offence under any written law of Malaysia or otherwise in enforcing the laws of Malaysia, including, but not limited to, the protection of the public revenue and preservation of national security."

Section 3:3 of the same act states that
"Nothing in this Act shall be construed as permitting the censorship of the Internet."

Point 7 in the MSC Malaysia Bill Of Guarantee states that the Malaysian Government promises to "ensure no Internet censorship".

Is there a class action suit in the making? I sense some fervent desperation and dissent in our administration. We cannot be like our socialist-capitalist brethrens whose democratic system, which I assumed there is one, is barely skeletal.

Jihad in Permatang Pauh?

Today we focus on a certain individual none other than Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. Wanita UMNO deputy chief, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister for Women and Social Development Affairs, former Women, Family and Community Development Minister, former Pantai MP. She's certainly got some colour under her belt.

Before the Permatang Pauh by-election, The Star reported that Wanita UMNO declared it's campaign as jihad.

I'm not in this position to comment, but isn't jihad a little inappropriate, irrelevant, and over-the-head? Perhaps she's signalling that Wanita UMNO.. or indirectly, UMNO is desperate?

These are just a couple of personal attacks and threats that she made about Anwar, assuming the 'he' in her statement refers to Anwar.

“It is a jihad because this individual should not be given the chance to destroy the country’s political stability and prosperity.

“If we allow him to lead the country, he would lead us to destruction,”

From my understanding on politics, Anwar's just running for parliament. What's this about prime ministerialship?

Please enlighten me, Datuk. I'm afraid I'm not as knowledged as you are on this. Could she be implying that there's a mood of certainty that Anwar will be PM by Sept 16? But it couldn't be, because Mahathir and Muhammad Taib both said that Anwar couldn't get 30MPs.

With all this ruckus going on between Anwar and Najib, Abdullah's laughing all the way to the bank. Mahathir seems to have a personal grudge on his handpicked successors, and is contemplating leaving Malaysia for good if Anwar gets in, Khairy's poking about and is maintaining that Anwar is a tool of the Americans and will sell the country to them yada yada.

The drama seems to be getting better.

A Bigger Slap

I never bothered to care much about Permatang Pauh, but this time around there're a couple theories that are in play here in this by-election.

BN, probably poured a lot more money into this than they poured into Ijok to stop Khalid Ibrahim from entering. But the unofficial vote's in.

Anwar wins by an overwhelming majority of 16,210 votes., getting 26,646 beating Arif Shah's 10,436. Here's where I got it from.

This is in fact more than the last election majority of 13,388 that his wife, Wan Azizah took. Not only is this another defeat for BN, but another psychological defeat as the margin is increased even further.

Let's see what happens in the next couple of days.

Edit: Anwar got 31,195 votes, Arif Shah 15,524. Anwar wins by majority of 15,671.

Sex and Men

With all the hoohaa about the issue that Rais Yatim brought up regarding travelling single women having to ask for consent blablabla.. I'm having a good laugh at the whole thing.

Women all over the country are probably going to have an out-of-time period this month after hearing this news and what I have to say about it.

Call me a egoistic/masochistic/sexist pig if you want to, my opinion remains my own. Yes, I know I'm only 19/still inexperienced/ haven't gone into the real life/ haven't seen the world/ dumb. Besides, it's only what I think of it, so why take it out of context? So, please READ this carefully, or else don't even bother wasting your prospective 3 minutes reading the following paragraphs.

I'm going to generalise here. Women.. are dumb. Dumb as heck. Men intelligence and wit fairly surpasses women intelligence. This is why, men have natural dominance. Males lead the pack, hunt for food, feed the family and fight for their values. You feminists are bloody stuck up. If you argue that women should be given equal rights, tell that to the fucking animals ok? Don't tell that to us men.

However, that's if I am .. not a gentleman. I too, like many other men, feel the pain suffered by victims of crime. Being a woman doesn't make it particularly easy because other men target women who are generally thought of as weaker and easier targets.

I too, will fight for women in their fight against sexual oppression. I too, disagree with policies that do not make sense. I too, will not want my spouse or partner to be locked up in the house.

So, to get back to the main point, the ministry's idea was dumb. I take it that they were trying to help out women in a good way, just that they thought of the wrong idea. Frankly, the idea itself is ridiculous and only warrants thoughts of radical Islamisation that's creeping into our secular country.

I want women to go out, I want women to dress down (in fact, I don't even want women to wear clothes), I want women to be able to get high paid jobs too. But women, will have to depend less on men to achieve that, and more on themselves. The issue of conmen targeting housewives is one. WHO THE FLYING FUCK STILL GETS CONNED IN THIS AGE AND TIME?! DON'T YOU HAVE FUCKING BRAINS?! IF IT'S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE! (Some men are also stupid enough to fall for this). So women, don't walk like a slut, be more aware of your surroundings and not be a dumb first-world blonde, don't open your wallets in public, don't even dare walk alone in a dark street or empty carpark lot. Don't accept drinks from strangers. yada yada the list goes on.

To put it straight, women are gullible. Women aren't very alert of their surroundings. Women trust other people too easily. Women take things for granted. And because a lot of men perceive females as the weaker race (physically, and in terms of survivability), you have to buck up and break that mentality, fight back, show those asshole men that you are not a chick to be screwed around with. Kick men in the balls when you don't like them, show them you mean business. I'm not denying that there are a lot of gullible guys out there as well, that there are equally as much wusses amongst males as well. They are safe only because of the protection that the general male race is able to give them (that men are not to be screwed around with).

Hence, I end my argument. This new policy by the Foreign Ministry is rubbish. But to the future critics that say "All you men are sexist pigs", I'd say this, in the end you'll have to depend on men so don't get on our nerves too much, go tell your fellow sisters to not be such easy targets, and we'll warn our fellow brothers to stop targeting women. Simple as said. For all you know the next thing that's come up will be, all men need consent from their wifes to go overseas (so they don't sneak off into China to find their mistresses).

And now, I'll wait for the flames, hopefully this aluminium foil I bought off Tesco helps.

Excitetion!

All the boring posts I have made in the past years, are worth every single second I've spent on it.

Just a brief overview, MCA, MIC and Gerakan lose big.

Opposition takes Kelantan, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor and KL.

KL
The previous seats of Bukit Bintang, Cheras, Kepong and Seputeh (I'm under this one! - DAP won with 36,000 majority!! :D) all won by DAP with increased majority. While BN lost the seats of Batu, Wangsa Maju, Segambut, Titiwangsa, Lembah Pantai and Bandar Tun Razak.

Batu - PKR's Tian Chua wins MCA's Datuk Lim Si Pin (Deputy Speaker in the Dewan Rakyat)

List of important people who lost:
Kuantan - Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow (BN-MCA) loses his seat to PKR's Fuziah Salleh.

Bandar Tun Razak - Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk Tan Chai Ho (BN-MCA) loses to PKR's Khalid Ibrahim.

Sungai Petani - Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin (BN-UMNO) loses to PKR's Johari Abdul.

Lembah Pantai - Minister for Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (BN-UMNO) lost to PKR's Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Hulu Selangor - Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk G. Palanivel (BN-MIC)loses to PKR's Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

PJ Utara - Parliamentary Secretary of Women, Family and Community Development Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun (BN-MCA) loses to DAP's Tony Pua.

PJ Selatan - Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai (BN-MCA)loses to PKR's Hee Loy Sian.

Taiping - Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk M Kayveas (BN-PPP)loses to DAP's Nga Kor Ming.

Padang Rengas - Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Nazri Aziz (BN-UMNO) wins by a slim majority of 1749 votes.

Kuala Kangsar - Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Rafidah Aziz (BN-UMNO) wins by a slim majority of 1458 votes.

Sungai Siput - Works Minister Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu (BN-MIC)loses to PKR's Dr. M Jeyakumar.

Batu Kawan - Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon (BN-Gerakan) loses to DAP's Dr P Ramasamy.

Bukit Bendera - Deputy Information Minister Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye (BN-Gerakan) loses to DAP's Liew Chin Tong.

Teluk Intan - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Datuk Mah Siew Keong (BN-MCA) loses to DAP's M. Manogaran.

Lumut - Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Kong Cho Ha (BN-MCA) wins by a slim majority of 158 votes.

Wangsa Maju - Parliamentary Secretary of Federal Territories Yew Teong Look (BN-MCA)loses to PKR's Wee Choo Keong.

Kapar - Parliamentary Secretary of Education Datin Paduka P. Komala Devi (BN-MIC) loses to PKR's S Manikavasagam.

also Jerai - Badruddin Amiruldin (BN-UMNO) (google him) lost.

---
So expect changes to these positions. And since Health Minister Datuk Chua Soi Lek (BN-MCA) resigned, Water, Energy and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Lim Keng Yaik (BN-MCA) and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy (BN-MCA) both aren't running for parliament this year, another three main portfolios are to be handed to other people.

Before the elections, BN in Perak were very confident about their standing and even listed several black areas into grey areas. Looks like.. they were wrong.

Overall, Gerakan is pretty much shattered with their state chiefs in Perak and Penang losing their seats, and winning only 2 out of 12 parliamentary seats contested. MCA's nightmare of 2004 when they lost the 2 Ipoh seats to DAP along with several state seats continued in 2008 .. to the extent that DAP will form the next state government in Perak.

PKR won surprisingly in Selangor, which I initially thought would be a stronghold for several MCA and MIC stalwarts. Kelana Jaya, Subang, Puchong, PJ Utara and PJ Selatan were the hot seats that fell to the opposition.

The Kota Melaka and the 3 state seats under it all went to DAP. Seremban also went to the DAP. So did Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. Kuantan fell to PKR. KL is opposition controlled now from having 4 seats by DAP in 2004 to 10 seats today. Penang which was Gerakan's bastion now lay in ruins.

I can safely say that the capitals of each state excluding Johor Bahru (sigh.. this place again), Perlis and Kuala Terengganu, FT Putrajaya and Labuan are now opposition controlled. Sungai Petani (PKR), Georgetown (DAP), Ipoh (DAP), Shah Alam (PKR), KL (DAP & PKR), Melaka/Malacca (DAP), Seremban (DAP), Kota Bahru (PAS), Kuching (DAP) and Kota Kinabalu (DAP).

Urban voters are clearly angry at the government.

Whooppiiieee! I am still shocked from when I first found out the results about 8 hours ago. and please, do not provoke and taunt other people. Let those who lost learn that it is only natural.

The Things People Say

There is now 17 days left till polling day. I'll be taking a stronger stance albeit on a neutral basis in the effort to lobby for a better future. Points and questions will be made in notes for emphasis, and on a semi-regular basis. (Maybe not.)

Note #1: Ignore issues on race and religion. Just ignore it you dumb religious freaks. Take a step back to clear your head from biases. They affect irrational behaviour. So what the government says is actually true, only from a different perspective. Don't use your freaking emotions to vote. Use your brains. If you can't understand that. You're clearly .. not smart enough to vote, and deserve to vote with your ass of a brain.

Note #2: Are bloggers who dabble in the socio-political scene anti-establishment? Those that write without facts or popular backing, are. Those that provide points, or are part of a bigger social group that's trying to provide a more constructive, and alternative point of view, are essentially, individuals providing their point of view. Should you believe them? It's like when a stranger tells you not to don't play with fire because it's dangerous, while another stranger tells you to wear fire-resistant gloves and play with fire, just because you're protected and you should feel the thrill of playing with fire. Alternative POVs on the same issue, with different outcomes, but you decide.

Note #3: Do you trust your ministers? Do you trust your police force? Do you trust your medical care system? Do you trust the transparency and accountability of all the above?

Note #4: Economy, personal finance and welfare. Do you feel threatened by the stagnating wages of your job? Do you feel that the spread in banks are ridiculously high? Do you feel threatened that as a resource-rich country, we are feeling poor? All these are the down-the-chain effects of mismanagement, and self-greed that's involved with the upper echelons of society.

Note #5: Did the Lingam saga show how deep in, certain individuals have ties to the ruling party? Doesn't it reveal a sense of complacency after a long time being in power?

Note #6: Do.. you think the present Prime Minister has kept up with his manifesto? Or was he sort of a caretaker like Gus Dur / Abdurrahman Wahid?

And that ends another boring post.. that no one will look at. Sigh.

Stop Hiding

Boy, was I slightly shocked to see this on the papers.
'PM: Improved economic performance and government efficiency'

To fare better than Germany, the kings of efficiency and speed, is something to celebrate about! Let's all vote for BN this coming election! Yeah! Hahaha what a little trick, to add the term '20 million' somewhere inside the article in hope of evading the eyes of the general public.

Alright, let's jump to the point I want to make, which Anwar has already made. Let me just translate this one section.

With reference to this World Competitiveness Yearbook as the PM has done, the reality is that Malaysia only sits on the 23rd position in the world. 15 of the 22 countries that are higher than Malaysia have a population less than 20 million, while 7 of the 22 exceed 20 million.

Malaysia's competitiveness ranking in 2006 is 22, while in '97 is 17.

So, in some way ex-PM Mahathir's self styled Corporate Governance of a country has worked in principle. You mismanage it, you mess it up. No it's not about race. It's about hierarchy, it's about the country, and you can't cover it up when it comes to publishing your annual report. It all ends up looking like a silly puppet show, with mud and sweets being thrown all around. Pathetic.

Okay, time for a butter toast!

Another Record Broken

I should probably say this. Malaysia has unofficially broken the record for having the most supercentenarians in the world. Evidence indicates there're 4 120's and 4 119's. Not only that, we've broken the record for the world's oldest, which the current world record for is 114 years old!

So, what holds for us? This is a testament that

1. Our healthcare system rocks the roof. #1 in the world baby!
2. Malaysians are finally healthier than the Japanese, screw your ochas and sushi, have some nasi lemak instead.
3. We can finally add this to our list of number ones, longest satay, longest pizza, longest pencil, tallest building, largest tea bag, longest serving ruler etc. As Wired puts it, we're number one in making/breaking records.

or..

4. We've all been dummified by the EC.

Oh nevermind, who's going to take note anyway?
Source: darnmalaysia.com

Hypocrisy

Here we have dozens of opposition figures, being detained without proof of court order, and ex-PM Anwar claims to be held for a while by Immigration officers. I foresee a sequel of the 1987 hit under the PM's predecessor.

A couple of questionable press statements were made in recent days, but it all began with the now-famous line Saya Pantang Dicabar. Then we became more hostile in foreign relations, telling people to 'lay off', and that these are 'internal affairs'. Hmm I guess the same psychological mindsets can be used against one, like... how 'bout laying off Myanmar for instance, .. and laying off Palestine, laying off Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Venezuela, Russia, Taiwan, etc?

Governments of the world nowadays I tell you, are always trying to hump the other country when no one's looking, damn busybody wan.

Ok now, 31 people are charged for attempted murder filed by the AG himself, and the hearing's next year. Hmm, I guess he means that the poor guy got whacked hard by the 31 accused. Yes, like a Rambo scenario, 1 on 31. Well I'd agree to that if that's the case, but .. fat chance.

Or maybe it wasn't about the poor chap, but the officers in general. Harm probably would be a better term to use, without any malicious intent. It's exaggeration by calling it attempted murder. Say, if I happen to be an innocent bystander, and you lob tear gas into my face, shoot water at me, then rough me up with batons and shields, I'd be blowing the whole thing out of proportion and risk losing my case if I decide to sue and call it attempted murder. See what I'm trying to get at?

So, back to the original topic, when one wielding power feels threatened by the fear of losing it, one silences his opposition. Ah, the classics. But we'll have to be glad as well lah, I mean imagine if it was under the Tun's patriarchal rule, even bloggers will be detained with ISA nowadays lol. Then I'd be afraid. Heh. Remember the AUKU(Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti), that was a mean one.

The author decided that he'll probably let out a wee bit of steam from exam preparation and there'll be a few more rants because he's in the mood to do so. Heh. Don't blame him, blame accounting.

Heresy

BERSIH's gathering will be held on the 11th of December. That means I'll be missing out on that march as well. Yikes! =.= Trying to stay a step ahead of the YdP Agong by amending the Federal Constitution is downright disrespectful I tell you. You level-4 crooks are despicable. So, is the (Mis)Information guy going to rap again? Let's see what lies you can cook up this time.

All these half-past six power-corrupted pariahs who strictly abide to the phrase "By Hook or By Crook" should all be condemned internationally. Bah.

An Open Letter

Mr Badawi,

The word 'transparency' has been at the core of your manifesto when you entered office in late 2003. I don't see that now when your minister tabled for first reading the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007 that seeks to extend the, well you know, on November the 20th in Parliament. The motive and the timing of the proposal is questionable. Not only did you not consult the rakyat, (through publishing it in the press?) I don't even know whether you have consulted The Yang-diPertuan Agong and the Conference of Rulers on this or not.

I'm merely suggesting this, but could it be that you need him for next year's GE? Similarly the IGP's and the ACA-DG's tenureship have all been extended. You even tried to extend the tenureship of one of the key figures in the 'Lingamgate' episode, Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz. Or did you already? I apologise but my memory fails me. But anyway he's not in office so it doesn't matter now.

One explanation has popped up so far, and I believe it's the answer you'd prefer. These men have served their posts well and you'd like them to do it for another few months/a year right? Very well, but there's another explanation that I've thought of, that you'd like for them to 'help' you out through the most crucial stages of your stewardship as PM due to the strategic positions they each hold. You mean to say that the ACA Director-General, Inspector General of Police, Chief Justice and Election Commission Chairman aren't key posts to you?

I have my right and reasons to suspect and question your fuzzy motives, and so do the people.

Perhaps you'd show some accountability to the people, and at the very least, give a soundful explanation on why The Constitution has to be amended for the sake of one civil servant, at this very time on the eve of the General Election. Please, do not give some layman arrogant excuse like your subordinate in the Prime Minister's Department of having the backing of the majority to do so, because you don't have the proof, like what all you and your subordinates have demanded when grouses are filed against yourselves.

Does your subordinate in the PM's department have proof of 2 million Indians backing him in his press statement recently? No. Do we have proof of the EC's shortcomings? Not substantial, but there is some (note: some) clear evidence of the lack of accountable governance on the EC's part (See: Ipoh Barat and Ipoh Timor constituencies). Various ministers have demanded that opposition voices show clear proof of wrongdoing or shut-up-sit-down-and-don't-stir-up-trouble.

So, will you also do your part, and show us, the people, that your actions are justified, in other words, proof? Or else, please do your people and nation a favour, and leave The Constitution alone, or so to rephrase the general notion that's being brought up from time to time.

Thank you for your time. Oh and by the way, I'm assuming you, because you're the head of government.. right?

Regards,
Tee Haow Kang
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Someone who's been reading the news would know that a further 3 rallies are planned for December. One by the Bar Council to celebrate Human Rights Day and another by BERSIH.

BERSIH's question this time around is simple. Why change the constitution for one civil servant? EC Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman turns 66 at the end of this year, and Minister in the PM's Department Nazri Aziz is spearheading the proposal to amend the constitution to allow the EC Chairman to retire at 66 instead of 65.

So the gazillion-dollar question lies here. Is it justifiable that The Constitution (note, The Constitution) be amended just because of one man? Surely the underlying reason isn't very clear.

Additional informative reads here, here, here and here. That's if you'd spare some time and think for the sake of the country =). Call me a pessimist if you will, but I'm worrying for this country's constitution at this current rate. I also personally think that royal intervention is needed for this, to put this on record.

(Witness the power of >66% majority, 377 specific amendments to 183 articles in the Federal Constitution thus far. zomg!!)

Papers Make Me Pissed

Every day I get my dose of pissage from the mainstream papers. Of recent, is the toll hikes. Yeah, hike somemore hike somemore, next time I use the highway also toll cost more than petrol wtf.

So now, toll concessionaires are better friends than the public? Don't stay in Sungai Siput sana mana ada toll? of courselah menang!, come to KL and contest against DAP's Fong Kui Lun in the Bukit Bintang constituency or any other constituencies in KL for that matter, then you'll see the capital's grouses against you.

Look at how many f**king tolls we have in our capital, and how many of them are toll-ed.

Highways with no tolls
KL-Seremban highway, Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2), Federal Highway, Puchong-Sg Besi highway, can't think of any others.

These are the best roads to use. But lots of idiots hang around these roads especially on the MRR2. To those stewpid people, if you wanna cruise at 60km/h on the fast lane don't be blind to the queue of cars behind you. Sure kena assfuked tiu wan if you provoke people like that. Just because I've got a P sticker on my windscreen doesn't mean I have to follow behind you nias*ng.

KESAS - rm2.20, (tiuuuuu this is the most painintheass one)
LDP - rm1.60, (everytime i use this road sure stress, after tollplaza sure jam)
Sg Besi expressway /BESRAYA - rm1.30/1.50, (because of this stupid toll, terpaksa use detour through kampung)
SPRINT - Kerinchi link - rm1.50, (use only once, and that was by accident)
SPRINT - Penchala link - rm2.00, (kena tipu also)
SPRINT - Damansara link - didn't use before so i dunno,
Ampang-KL Elevated Expressway - rm1.60
SILK - rm1.00
ELITE - (rarely used so I don't remember)
NPE - rm1.60
Salak Expressway - rm0.50
Grand Saga Expressway - rm1 (those ulu ulu places =P)
NKVE - always end up by mistake on this highway from ELITE on the way back from KLIA.

These are just the few that I've remembered, still got the ones in Subang and westward. One new one which I think will be particularly handy is the KL-Putrajaya Expressway, starting from Kg Pandan passing through Kuchai Lama, then one interchange at Bukit Jalil, but the interchange only links to KESAS so it'll be another painintheass exiting the highway but not entering it.

This has got to be one of the most confusing interchanges.

It's easy to enter from the west to KL but not to Putrajaya.
It's easy to exit from KL to the east but not the west.
It's easy to enter from the east to both KL and Putrajaya.
It's easy to exit from Putrajaya to the east but not to the west.

I might have made it even more confusing =P Oh well.

But the main point remains, it sucks to drive in KL because of all these tolls! Coupled with parking charges and whatnot, a day out in the city or elsewhere will result in either getting caught in a jam or parting with at least rm5-10. That's a lot okay! Think of the bowl of extra large hor fun or chicken rice that I'm missing out on.

So, conclusively.. you better get out of office, because all you're doing is burdening the people with unnecessary toll increases. Sigh, and I'm done with my quota of rants for the day.

P.S: Is the KL-Putrajaya highway open yet? I haven't been catching up with that.

Repressed Media

M Bakri Musa's article today led me to reflect on the corroded amount of trust that I have at this point in mainstream newspapers. 5 years ago, when I first started subscribing to The Star in Form 2, everyone was fighting over the different sections of the newspaper, "Give me the sports section!" "Section Two (what it was called in the old days) is mine okay!" "I want to read the comics!" and on some days I'll end up with a few missing sheets at the end of the day, reading on my way back home from school.

Now? I don't even bother reading the hardcopy anymore. Back in those days, the paper was just 60sen (student rate) and later just RM1, so you could say it's good value for money. Now it's not just bad value for money, it's only useful to use to bungkus my char kuay teow, and my morning meehoon.

It's been made worse by my reading of the local papers here which at least has an editorial section where the editors and columnists dare to voice out their own words. I used to take the opinions of The Star's few columnists (and editor) like Wong Chun Wai, and Wong Sai Wan seriously, it's been reduced to coffeeshop chitchat now.

Waning public confidence in the mainstream media has meant lower circulation numbers, soon companies probably won't bother funding the papers through adverts. To me, it spells doom and condemnation. That's what you get for being used as tools of propaganda by political parties.

At least I still depend on their online portals to check on petty news. Sigh, I miss the old days. Having a newspaper in my hand was a thing to be proud of. Hahahaha, childish thoughts.

Emotional Fallacy

Minister Zamzam alakazam.. got owned by a journalist, first saying, "We allowed it! That's why we are a democracy.. then say it was illegal, why was it illegal?, because there's no point to hold this gathering." Was that a professional rebuke or answer?

Along with Nazri, Zam's lost credibility in my eyes. Made a complete fool out of himself.

Anyway, we've made it to foreign press. BBC, CNN, Reuters, Al Jazeera and ABC has stories on this. Quite the contrary to what Bernama has published. Anyway, when I first saw the descriptions and the pictures, I had a tear in my eyes. The feeling of love towards a country, is just so great.

BERSIH @ Dataran Merdeka

Links
Here
Here
Here
Here
Here

I'll summarise what I've just found out through pocks of information here and there on the net.

-Kuala Lumpur city in gridlock. Roadblocks everywhere on roads leading to KL.
-Massive FRU, Special Branch, and Police presence, chemical-laden water cannons and tear gas used to disperse crowd at certain areas of rallying like Masjid Jamek, Masjid India.
-Dataran Merdeka completely sealed off past 1.20pm.
-Government order to mainstream media not to publish any statements made by BERSIH, previous demonstrations shown on mainstream TV, no coverage allowed on BERSIH.
-TV3 Presenters seen wearing yellow tie =P
-NTV7 claims police "foiled" BERSIH gathering.
- Rumours of the 19th Royal Regiment based in Sungai Petani, Kedah ordered by The Supreme Leader to protect the activists.


-Utusan Melayu front page quotes PM Badawi as saying "Saya Pantang Dicabar".
-Fear Factor utilised to play down people's voice.
-Palace gates left open although severe opposition by police in front of Istana Negara.
-Malaysiakini.com/Malaysia-today.net/HarakahDaily.net all experiencing severe delays.


Al Jazeera's coverage.

Lastly,
More pictures, here.

Al Jazeera ran an interview with the Information Minister on this gathering.
This was one of the feedback I saw.

Saya rasa amat malu dengan temuramah yang di-jalankan olih Al-Jazeerah dengan Menteri Penerangan kita.

Bahasa Inggeris yang di-tuturkan tidak dapat mencerminkan kawalan bahasa yang betul dan isi kata Zam hanya menunjukkan pengetahuan dan pendededahan tipis tentang informasi antarabangsa dan etika dalam temuramah.

Dakwaan Zam yang polis telah mengawal baik keadaan sunnguh menggelikan hati masyarakat kerana ini bercanggah dengan keadaan di-mana polis telah menggunakan gas pemedih mata dan ayer semburan.

Para peserta perhimpunan sa-benar-nya yang telah berkelakuan dengan baik dan mengikut rancangan yang telah di-tentukan untuk berjalan terus ka-istana tanpa melakukan rusuhan atau jenayah melanggar keamanan negara. Pihak polis yang telah melakukan reaksi melebehi dari yang perlu dengan melakukan keganasan menggunakan gas pemedih mata serta water cannon terhadap peserta yang tak berdosa.

Bukan masyarakat Malaysia yang mentertawakan Al-Jazeerah tapi masyarakat dunia yang mentertawakan Zam dengan bahasa pincang-nya dan kebodohan-nya tidak menhiraukan bukti yang pihak polis ada menggunakan kekerasan yang tidak perlu dan lagi melebehi kadar kawalan yang di-perlukan.

Sa-kurang2-nya Malaysia harus melantik Menetri Penerangan yang lebih berwibawa dan pintar berfikir sa-cara professional dan mempunyai kawalan bahasa Inggeris yang bolih di-banggakan. Sungguh malu.

I'll end it with this question. Our Agong, the Supreme Ruler has made it clear that he allows the representatives of BERSIH to present a memorandum to him. Why is it that PM Badawi does not dare to criticise the Agong? Instead, blaming all this as an challenge to the country's stability? Why is it that the PM does not view this as an opposition to the government? Why are all the BN Component Party members giving the silent treatment? Is our de-facto law minister going to say, "100,000 is not the the majority, it's not 27mil people, we only care if the majority wants a change."?

My duly respect to all the coordinators and organisers of this rally. My utmost honor to see the royals accepting the memorandum and recently addressing the people's problems.

Daulat Tuanku.
Daulat Tuanku.
Daulat Tuanku.

I Not Stupid

What's Pak Lah's intention of launching the ECER, NCER and IDR, three economic corridors in less than 3 months gap each? Vote fishing?

Unfortunately, this sends out the message that the coalition is trying desperately to fish for votes to continue their mandate. He knows he has failed to keep his manifesto promises, and that is the most important thing, not enriching yourself and your tingkat-4 goons.

The Khairy Chronicles, is a series of episodes that somehow explain Mr Son-in-law's intention to become PM at 40. It's interesting to look at it in the context of a story. Read here and here for the summary of it. I guarantee it's a full-of-details, eye-opening experience of what's happening behind the scene. Seriously. You never knew so much about the ECM-Libra - Avenue Capital merger, the link between Singapore, GLCs, and Mr SIL, and his strategies of planting his allies into key government and state seats to sabotage the old guards which are against him. Better than reading a thriller. In fact it completely changes your entire perception of the Abdullah administration.

Last-Minute Desperation?

PAS usually shows its true colours when a general election is looming and it is its unrelenting quest to set up an "Islamic state" at all cost, said Gerakan secretary-general Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye.
Source

And here I thought Gerakan was one of the more ethical and principle-upholding parties in the coalition government, well at least from what I see in history. Two men whose views I've treated with respect are both Penang CMs (Dr Lim Chong Eu and Dr Koh Tsu Koon, both highly educated, men of principle), and both held posts as Gerakan chief, so my perception of Gerakan .. well.. should be clean. Datuk Seri, you bad egg. =(

Well, not only PAS has been on the receiving end, DAP too has been frequently criticised by the Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin.

Every vote given to the DAP will only weaken the Chinese representation in the Government, said Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin.

It would not help the Chinese community if they did not support the Barisan Nasional, he said.
Source

Well, isn't that just being hypocritical. Both hailing from the coalition party that is so used to calling the opposition "dirty, and using underhanded tactics". Since when was a 'democracy-as you so proudly call it' subjected to party figures playing the 'race' and 'fear' cards?